Rodents in your walls? Maybe you need a plumber, not an exterminator

Plumbing Horror Stories

At Affordable Plumbing & Heat we see and hear plumbing horror stories from customers every single day. Of course our goal is to help you keep your home or business safe, warm, and dry.

We thought since Halloween is just around the corner it might be good to share some of the latest Plumbing Horror Stories we have heard. Pull up a chair, wrap the blanket tight around you but don’t panic! The Experts at Affordable Plumbing & Heat can calm your fears and solve even the scariest plumbing nightmares.

Scratching in the walls? Unexplained odors in your home?

While you likely already know that scratching in the walls is a sign you have a rodent issue, what you probably don’t know is that you may need an exterminator nd a plumber. Why a plumber?

Well, when rodents nest in the walls of a home it can be because they have found entry into the home through a cracked sewer line in the basement or crawl space. If this is the case they have free access to your home and will use the walls like an elaborate freeway system to create nests. This problem can be very difficult to control and even more difficult to stop if you simply have your local exterminator come out and set traps to catch the rats.

One customer we recently worked with had 10 different exterminators visit her home over the years. None of them could figure out how the rats were getting into her home. Month after month she paid for costly extermination services that were never going to get rid of the problem. It wasn’t until she had a camera line inspection of her sewer line that she was able to completely end the nightmare.

While catching them is one part of the solution, it obviously does not stop their point of entry and this is critical if you want to eliminate rodents from your home once and for all.

If your are experiencing an unexplained rodent infestation and your exterminator has not been able to pinpoint the point of entry. It may be wise to invest in a sewer line inspection.

Using sewer scoping technology, the experts at Affordable Plumbing & Heat can thoroughly inspect your sewer line from the inside of your house to the sewer main line. A video camera will show where the sewer line is cracked and can determine if the cracked line is your responsibility to fix, or if it is the responsibility of the city. We will provide you with a downloadable video of the complete scope so you can use it s necessary to determine the best course of action.

Typically cracks that are located on your property are your responsibility. Whereas cracks found at the sewer main are the responsibility of the city. Having a video can be very helpful if you need to resolve a dispute with the city, or with a neighbor, as sometimes tree roots can cause cracks in the sewer line too.

Once we pinpoint the crack in the sewer line we use several different methods to determine the most cost effective way to repair the sewer line and help you get rid of your rodent problem.

Here are some signs that can indicate you have a cracked or broken sewer line:

Unexplained Odors

Dampness in spots on your floor that can’t be explained by recent spills and that is persistently in the same place.

Odors that can’t be explained by garbage. Again it is a huge warning sign if these odors tend to linger in the same spots in and around your home.

Scratching in the walls or scampering. This means rodents are nesting in your walls and have potentially burrowed through a hole in your sewer line into your crawl space. They now have complete access to all the walls in your home.

Soft spots, low spots and dampness in one particular area of your yard. This can indicate that the ground has shifted and caused a break in your sewer line. The moisture seeping from the ground below can cause the ground to be damp when everything else around it is dry.

The most obvious sign that you have a crack or break in your sewer line is if you have persistent clogging that affects the whole house, not just one drain.

Call Affordable Plumbing & Heat for help! You Can Afford to Do It Right.

"This was the best plumbing company experience I have ever had. The plumbing technician, Curt, was outstanding in the truest sense of that word. He was courteous, articulate, conscious that he had been working outside and thus careful to not track dirt into the house...simply a cut above. And he did the job fast and with skill. I would highly recommend Affordable to anyone without reservation."